X-Ray Plant Cited for Dumping Toxic Waste

A Sun Valley plant that processes industrial X-rays was cited on Monday for dumping a silver-tainted waste solution into a surface drain instead of treating the substance as a hazardous material, officials said.

L.A. X-Ray, 10942 Tuxford St., was ordered to comply with state regulations and implement an accepted method of hazardous-waste disposal, said Mike Lohnes, a hazardous materials specialist for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Hazardous-materials teams from the county and city fire departments and the Los Angeles Police Department converged at a small industrial park Monday after city workers repairing a broken water line encountered a solution that smelled acidic and burned their hands. About 30 employees from L.A. X-Ray and five other firms within the complex were evacuated while inspectors identified the substance, said Lohnes and L.A. X-Ray Vice President Jerry Maddern.

Lohnes said silver is toxic in high concentrations and should not be dumped into surface drains. It is not supposed to be dumped into sewers above certain concentration levels, he said, and an inspector from the city’s Sanitation Bureau on Monday took a solution sample to test its silver concentration. The bureau will determine whether the X-ray firm had been violating city laws by using the sewers.

Maddern acknowledged that the company, which has operated at the Tuxford Street location for about 18 months, had been dumping waste into city sewers. But he said sanitation inspectors have previously indicated that there was no problem, because the silver content was within acceptable ranges.

In the meantime, Maddern said, the firm would the seal the surface drains where the waste solution was apparently dumped over the weekend.